It’s time to “listen to your elders,” as boomers on Reddit share 15 invaluable pieces of advice that they believe today’s youngsters need to learn ASAP:
15. Debt Can Really Ruin Your Life
“If you want to take on a lot of it, make sure you have a good plan and run it by a lot of smart people first.”
“I was very debt-averse, which limited some opportunities for me, so I wish I had learned earlier that debt isn’t inherently bad, it just depends on the general value of what you’re getting for it.”
“I think one thing that really separates you when you’re younger is the presence of mind of how financial planning affects you. Most of the people who come from financially grounded homes teach their children what good debt and bad debt means. Good debt is buying something like a house or a car that you can afford and pay off, and can be resold for a good portion of what you’re spending and will be a reliable source for your next step. Bad debt is buying something that you can’t get a decent return on if sold or you can’t afford to make the payments if you suddenly have to get a different job.”
14. Go For Experiences and Not Things
“This is pretty darn true. When you look back at the years you remember good times with great people and also visiting great places or attending important events.”
“Similar: “have fewer, nicer things.”
“Absolutely this. If you can swing it a middle line anything will usually last a lot longer than a few bottom line something.”
14. Practice Makes Perfect
“Every skill takes determined practice to master. I see my young friends/relatives try, and give up on so many things because “they weren’t very good at it”. If you keep doing that, you’ll never be very good at anything.”
““Every day it gets a little easier… But you gotta do it every day — that’s the hard part. But it does get easier.” – Jogging Baboon from BoJack Horseman. This struck a chord with me recently.”
13. Create Good Habits
“The habits you get into during your 20’s & 30’s are going to be damn near impossible to change. Make those habits good ones.”
“If you practice a bad habit, it’s ten times more difficult to change it rather than do it right from the beginning.”
12. Look After Your Skin
“I just had a quick look at my 50-year-old upper chest, frequently exposed to the sun in my youth, and compared it to my 50-year-old belly, which has always been clothed and covered (I have never liked two piece swimsuits). What a difference!”
“I was going to say, even more important than sunscreen is to not spend tons of time under the sun with your skin exposed at all. For example, laying out under the sun practically naked to get a tan is just not a great idea.”
11. Remember You Can’t Please Everyone
“Not everything that you disagree with deserves an argument. Pick your battles and let trivial things slide.”
“Not everyone you disagree with is “wrong”. They are simply operating with different information. You can disagree with someone in an issue, and still value the person.”
10. Strike a Sensible Work/Life Balance
“If you die, your employer will have you job poster before you are buried. Remember that one when making work/life choices.” This might seem morbid, but the Redditor who posted it definitely has a point.
Our mortality has a powerful habit of putting things in perspective. Sure, you can’t do everything you want all the time. But many of us could benefit from taking a foot off the gas and making more time for things that bring us joy.
9. Read More
Reading is like magic. It lets you escape into other worlds, learn about the world, and unwind from the stresses of daily life. Unfortunately, too few of us make enough time to do it. One Redditor suggests “reading for pleasure” is something all people – young and old alike – should be doing.
8. Get Help for Past Trauma
You wouldn’t wish childhood trauma on your worst enemy. But it happens. And if you’ve been the victim of it, accessing professional help sooner than later could make a big difference as time goes by.
“If there was abuse in your childhood of any kind and no one helped, get help now. If you can’t afford therapy use online resources, they’re not the best, but still helpful.”
7. Plan For Retirement
You can’t rest on your laurels, though. You need money to survive – especially when it comes to life after work. If you want to enjoy your golden years, it pays to think about retirement from an early age. As one Redditor wrote, “Inheritance is not a retirement plan.” In other words, don’t assume you’ll be fine just because you have wealthy parents. Anything can happen, which means you need to be self-sufficient.
6. Don’t Work Too Hard
Being ambitious and working hard to achieve big goals is important. But one Redditor wanted young people to “Stop thinking your life is about being the most productive person you can be. Find interesting hobbies that make you feel good and are good for you. Your soul deserves to experience some of your own dreams, don’t waste all of your time working towards the dreams of your company’s owners.”
5. Be With Someone Who Makes Life Easier
The people you have around you make a world of difference in myriad ways. One Redditor suggested young people should know that “Marriage/relationships should be fun, and happy. Life is hard, things get tough. Find someone that makes the tough times easier, not harder.”
Another then jumped on the thread, writing, “Piggybacking off this and saying, even the happiest marriages get into arguments. It’s not a reason to leave.”
4. Know That People Don’t Really Care
Too many people judge themselves based off what they believe others think of them. But the reality is that, well…they’re probably not thinking about you at all. In fact, they’re probably worrying what you’re thinking of them. As one Redditor put it:
“Nobody else ever thinks about the things you did that you think were embarrassing or cringeworthy. You are not important to them. The only one who remembers those moments are you, and you shouldn’t let them define you to yourself.”
Another added, “I heard a saying once. When you’re young, you constantly worry about what everyone else thinks of you. When you’re an adult, you stop worrying about what everyone else thinks of you. And when you’re old, you finally realize that nobody else was thinking about you anyway.”
3. Protect Your Hearing
It seems like lots of older Redditors found out the hard way how important it is to look after your ears as you grow up. One wrote, “Unless you don’t mind hearing EEEEEEEEEEEE like all the time day and night, use hearing protection in loud situations. Tinnitus is [not fun].”
2. Prioritize Your Physical Health
Many people offered advice around the importance of looking after yourself. One popular comment read, “Take care of your body. Exercise, keep your weight reasonable, and keep the “bad habits” in moderation. It really does make a difference later in life.”
This was followed by another who added, “And take care of your teeth. It’s f****** expensive replacing crowns, getting implants, etc.” Oh, and as a third Redditor suggested, “Wear sunscreen!”
1. Know That Everyone Messes Up
The most popular response was short, sweet, and surprisingly reassuring. “Everybody f**** up, it’s what you do after that matters,” posted the Redditor.
Someone else then chimed in with the two related lessons that their grandfather instilled in them: “Failure is not an end state unless it is where you choose to stop.” And “Honesty is the most powerful tool you can use to define yourself. Admit your mistake, frankly and honestly.”
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Source: Reddit.